PASSION

SYNOPSIS:
The story of eccentric Australian pianist Percy Grainger [1882 – 1961] (Richard
Roxburgh), and his intense relationship with his mother Rose (Barbara Hershey), and his
relationship with his lover Karen (Emily Woof). The story of one a year in his life
provides an insight into his genius as pianist, his philosophies and his tormented
struggle between performing the works of other composers in major recitals –
brilliantly, and in order to pay for his expensive life style – and his real love of
free style composing.

"Intriguing and very complex, Passion is a fascinating portrait of a gifted artist
whose perversity and flawed perceptions are placed under scrutiny. It's a well-told story
that involves, engrosses and draws you into a world where the abnormal is normal. The mood
is beautifully created with rich production design, picturesque settings and haunting
cinematography. And of course, there's the music. From Chopin to Mozart, Grieg to
Grainger, the rippling keyboard cadenzas involve us. But it's the story that holds our
fascination, unraveling one revelation after another; this snapshot which describes
Grainger's childlike and inappropriate behaviour, his unspeakable passions and erratic
views on love and relationships. Looking at times disconcertingly like a young Danny Kaye,
Richard Roxburgh revels in the lead role, bringing much depth and complexity to it.
Barbara Hershey is splendid as Rose, her maternal affection unbalanced, her possessiveness
extreme, her conscience troubled. But it's Emily Woof who wins our greatest sympathy and
compassion, who risks her own peace of mind in order to satisfy the sado-masochistic
desires of her lover. My reservation lies in the less than satisfying ending, which
deprives us of pertinent details. Disturbing and tragic, Passion is compelling cinema
– an extraordinary film about an extraordinary life."Louise Keller

"I agree with Louise; Passion is a fine achievement in filmmaking. It looks and
sounds wonderful, and Roxburgh delivers a tangible, complex character. I could have taken
a touch more self doubt and inner conflict from Hershey, but Emily Woof makes up for that.
But, like Louise, I have reservations, and they are all to do with the storytelling and
the decision to write a screenplay that lifts an early portion of Grainger’s life and
puts it under the microscope. We spend but a few very short years with him, all after his
arrival in London and well before his mother’s death and his marriage. Those
momentous events are related by way of text cards before the end credits. But by this
stage we have invested heavily in emotional terms in Grainger, his mother Rose and Karen
his all-suffering, devoted girlfriend. Grainger’s complex nature and his contrariness
is well captured, however, and the film is both a titillating insight and a profound study
of one of Australia’s creative geniuses. It could have been told more daringly,
perhaps, echoing Grainger’s volatility and eccentricity, but it does indeed involve
us in the story."Andrew L. Urban